In Simon Stephens’s brilliant “Vanya,” the adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya, Andrew Scott portrays the eight main characters from the 1897 play. He depicts these familiar characters with a degree of believability and authenticity that is beyond remarkable. That would be impressive enough if he portrayed one character at a time, but there is often more than one character on the Lucille Lortel Theatre stage. They talk to one another, they look at one another, they even touch one another. They eat, wash dishes, drink, sit on a swing, they even have voracious sex with one another on the floor and against the door.

Each character is identified by an object: Sonia by a kitchen cloth; Helena with a slinky gold necklace; Michael (Doctor Astrov) bounces a tennis ball in place; Marina (the housekeeper) stands at the kitchen counter, often dragging on a cigarette; and Ivan (Vanya) wears sunglasses and uses a red sound-effects gizmo. Andrew Scott uses these “props” consistently in the play’s first scenes, then uses them sporadically during the remainder of the narrative. His portrayal of each character is so infused with his facial expressions, the modulation in his voice, his Uta Hagen like movements and gestures, that the audience easily identifies each character without the “props.” After a while, Andrew Scott convinces the audience they can “see” costumes and wigs, and makeup. Eight characters: one distinguished actor creating memorable magic.

Simon Stephens’s adaptation follows the original script well and Sam Yates’s impeccable, yet unassuming direction moves the adaptation forward at just the right pace. Chekhov’s themes are intact: anger and hatred; appearances and reality; choices and consequences; deception; duty and responsibility; limitations and opportunities; love and passion; success and failure; and wealth and poverty. The enduring questions about human nature, the role of women, the purpose of life, and humankind’s catastrophic disregard of nature remain unanswered.

The details of the action are unimportant. What matters is Chekhov’s microscopic examination of the daily occurrences that construct and deconstruct the human condition. The plot, the setting (design by Rosanna Vize), the mood of “Vanya” and its main character “Ivan” are captured by the craft of one actor who shares their passion for authenticity and believability with selfless abandon. That actor is Andrew Scott. The play is the not-to-be-missed “Vanya” playing at the Lucille Lortel only through Sunday, May 11, 2025.